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Florida Offers Crash Reports Online

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) today launched a new service that will lead to more cost effective, timely and accurate filing of crash reports while at the same time providing easy online access to those reports for involved parties.

Given the fast pace of information exchange today many people would rather go online to get a copy of their crash report. By going to BuyCrash.com, involved parties can purchase and download a copy of the report and eliminate the time, gas and inconvenience of driving to the local police agency and standing in line for a copy of their report.

BuyCrash.com is one component of Florida's Integrated Report Exchange System (FIRES), which includes free software tools and services for local law enforcement agencies that will help them collect, file, retrieve and analyze crash records. Many agencies currently rely on paper-based processes or costly software solutions. Through a public-private partnership with Appriss Inc., FIRES software and support is provided to the agencies at no cost. Savings across the state could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in processing, postage, storage and retrieval costs.

Funding for the project is derived primarily from the online sale of crash reports at BuyCrash.com to insurance companies and involved parties.

"Through the new service, the Department provides a convenience to customers by offering crash reports online," said DHSMV Executive Director Julie Jones. "Harnessing new technology to enhance customer service and to create efficiencies is in line with the agency's strategy."

Appriss provides BuyCrash.com services in partnership with several other states -- including Kentucky, Indiana, Nebraska, and Georgia -- with great success. The revenue from the online sale of crash reports is shared with the state and participating local law enforcement agencies, helping to lower the tax burden at a time of challenging budget deficits.

About Appriss

Appriss provides innovative technology solutions that keep communities safe and informed. Services include nationwide programs such as VINE(®), a comprehensive automated victim notification service; JusticeXchange, the nation's largest real-time data network of incarcerated persons; and NPLEx(TM), a national electronic tracking system used by tens of thousands of pharmacies and law enforcement investigators to prevent the illegal sale of over-the-counter cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine.

Appriss' mobile division provides individualized smartphone apps for sheriffs' offices, helping them communicate more efficiently with their communities.

Appriss also specializes in solutions that provide government agencies with innovative ways to manage and provide access to public information, including BuyCrash.com, a revolutionary approach for making crash reports available for involved parties.

For more information, visit www.appriss.com.

SOURCE Appriss